"Public to Resolve Supply Chain Bottlenecks"... Government Launches National Hotline

The government has established a permanent regulatory improvement channel that allows the public to directly participate in resolving supply chain bottlenecks.

On April 7, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that it had set up the "National Supply Chain Issues Hotline" starting the previous day, which receives reports of supply chain difficulties and policy suggestions arising in the import, production, and distribution stages.

This measure is intended to address supply chain bottlenecks such as disruptions in the supply of raw materials and intermediate goods, as well as logistics delays, which have emerged in response to the recent expansion of external uncertainties, including the situation in the Middle East.

Export containers are being loaded onto a vessel at Busan North Port. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

Suggestions received through the hotline are shared not only with the Ministry of Economy and Finance but also with other relevant agencies by item, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; the Ministry of Environment; the Ministry of Health and Welfare; the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and the Korea Customs Service.

Each ministry will also accept proposals from companies and the public through their official social media channels, and will review them according to their respective areas of responsibility.

Earlier, on April 3, the government had announced a "Regulatory Improvement Plan to Alleviate Supply Chain Bottlenecks" during a joint meeting of the Emergency Economic Headquarters and the Ministers of Economy. The plan includes the application of temporary regulatory exemptions to facilitate the import and production of raw and intermediate materials, simplifying licensing procedures, and quickly resolving on-site difficulties through proactive administration.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that it will promptly review the suggestions received and implement practical measures such as regulatory relaxation, while also strengthening the supply chain response system through real-time communication using social media and other channels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.